How to Go to College Tuition Free

With the price of everything rising, it is getting harder and harder to afford anything. With the economic status of this country, a lot of us have had to either put our college dreams on hold or actually spend some of our college funds. A career in fast food is not the only alternative. There are a few colleges out there that offer a top education for no tuition fees. This is no joke and there are no tricks to it. Some of these universities do require a little work in exchange but nothing too extravagant or tedious. Here is a look at six of these major schools.

The first one is Berea College in Kentucky. This was the first racially integrated school in the south. With a very long and rich history, you can attend a school that you can really be proud of. This school has a couple different programs for anyone that is seeking a degree from a four year university. Every student that is admitted to this university is given a tuition free four year education. Your fees are determined by the FAFSA standards and any amount that you can pay will be charged to you. They do however have a program for those that can not pay anything. If you agree to a ten hour per week work study program, you can have your tuition and other fees covered completely. No matter what program you qualify for, you will still be asked to file all the grant paperwork so that the school can get the grant money to stay in operation. You will not be required to take out student loans though. This is all at your discretion. Berea College does this because they believe that you are more important to your education than your money. Since 1854, Berea has been educating members of all races and classes. They have also been offering this work study program the entire time. Between 1904 and 1950, according to Kentucky law, they were not allowed to admit African American students, so they opened the Lincoln Institute for this reason. As soon as they were allowed, they reintegrated their students. Distinguished alums include 2002 Nobel Prize-winner John Fenn, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Juanita M. Kreps, Tony Award-winner Tharon Musser, and automotive engineer and designer Jack Roush, owner of Roush Racing.

Another of these Universities is Cooper Union in Manhattan. This college was created by the man that invented Jell-O. He had an idea that education should be "as free as air and water." This ideal has been the driving force behind the tuition free aspect of this great university. There are only 900 students attending at a time, and it is a little difficult to get into, but with the right grades and a good admissions letter, it is possible. This is one of the few free colleges with no work required. It is truly a free school for all of its students. This is done through the use of the Cooper Union endowment. It pays for all of the student's tuition to continue the ideals of Peter Cooper. Recent alumni awards include 1 Nobel Prize, 10 Rome Prizes, 18 Guggenheim fellowships, 3 MacArthur fellowships, 9 Chrysler Design awards, and 3 American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Awards for Public Architecture. The school also boasts more than 23 Fulbright scholars since 2001, and 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships since 2004. Famous alumni include Thomas Jefferson, Bob Kane (creator of Batman), and Milton Glaser (founder of New York Magazine and the I Love NY logo) and many others.

College of the Ozarks is another work study type college, and one of the more famous ones. The fame of this college as a work study powerhouse has garnered the nickname, "Hard Work U". This college offers a four year degree to any student that needs help paying for their tuition. The only problem is that they cater solely to the Ozark area. This means that you have to be from certain counties in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ten percent of each class does not need to be in financial need, and still get the free tuition, but the true purpose of the school is to provide a quality education to any student that can not afford one. This is a very good school that is highly accredited. For anyone that lives in their enrollment area, it would be a bad idea to not go here. Politician Willis Ricketts, actress April Scott, and GOP chairman Mike Duncan are among a few of the notable alumni of this college.

Alice Loyd College is another of these colleges. This is another work for your tuition style school in Kentucky. This one is very similar to the College of the Ozarks. They cater to a 108 county area in the central Appalachian Mountains. They do not require you to be of a certain income level though. There are also extenuating circumstances to their admissions as well. They even allow some international students. No matter where you are from, it would pay to apply at this college. A certain percentage of their classes do come from areas outside their normal district. This college is based on a strong work ethic. The students are required to put in a ten to twenty hour work week based on the program they are in. The more you need paid for, the more you will have to work. Politicians Carl Perkins and Dr. Grady Stumbo are two of this college's esteemed alumni.

These colleges are not just on the east coast. Deep Springs College in California is another work study campus. This one is on the west coast and is a little ways away from civilization. This beautiful and relaxing ranch is the perfect place for anyone to get a quality education and some useful work experience. For anyone that has ever wondered about ranch life and what it takes to grow alfalfa or handle a herd of cattle, this is your place. Unfortunately, they are not set up to accept women. This all male college will give you a taste of the old west as you work the ranch in your down time. The excellent education that you receive while there is just a bonus to the experience that you walk away with. Each semester brings a new job to learn. These can range from washing dishes to delivering calves. With just a twenty hour work week, you get your full tuition and other costs. All students are also responsible for the decision of who should attend and how things should work. This is a self governed college that is run by the student body. You can get more than just an agricultural experience here though. You can also get a degree ranging from religion or science to politics or liberal arts. Economist Norton Dodge, Judge Thomas Fairchild, Congressman Jim Olin, and Silas Warner the computer programmer are all alumni of Deep Springs. With only 1000 alumni, Deep Springs still has the highest number of successful alumni of any US college.

Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts is another four year college that offers a free tuition program. This school, however, does not require any work in exchange for tuition. This one is completely free, but they have a very limited amount of space. They only allow 900 students at a time, and only accept 85 students per semester so the competition is a little steep. You need to act quickly on this one though. After this semester, they will no longer be free. Due to the economy, they will be lowering their scholarship to only cover 50% of the tuition. This is still extremely cheap for this quality four year university and there are grants and other scholarships that can be used to finish the bill. This relatively new college has not yet been around long enough to build a list of notable alumni.

This is just a short list of the free schools that are out there. There are several different options out there to get that extra education. From the Montgomery GI bill for military to several other federal and state scholarships, you can get a quality education from nearly anywhere. Another tip for anyone with military parents, the state of California offers free tuition to you at any university or college. For everyone else, there are an endless number of private funded scholarships to augment any federal funds you may receive. There are also work study programs in most major universities. These are just the most notable. There is a solution for everyone though.